Colette Christian
Craftsy Instructor

Los Angeles, CA

Colette Christian began working in restaurants at age 14 and went on to graduate from the New England Culinary Institute. In 2004 she began teaching at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, and now offers classes at the Art Institute of Hollywood, Sur La Table and the Great News Cooking School in San Diego. She has extensive training in baking and pastry and is a certified executive pastry chef as well as a certified executive chef through the ... Read Full Bio »

Colette Christian began working in restaurants at age 14 and went on to graduate from the New England Culinary Institute. In 2004 she began teaching at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, and now offers classes at the Art Institute of Hollywood, Sur La Table and the Great News Cooking School in San Diego. She has extensive training in baking and pastry and is a certified executive pastry chef as well as a certified executive chef through the American Culinary Federation.

Colette's Craftsy Classes

Join certified executive pastry chef and popular Craftsy instructor Colette Christian as she demystifies iconic bite-sized French desserts. Starting with buttery madeleines, learn how to make these classic mini-cakes with their perfectly crisp edges and tender crumb. Next, make tartlets with a tangy lemon curd filling, from-scratch crust and quick Italian meringue topping. Then, master macarons, infuse them with flavors such as lavender and create decadent fillings, including buttercream and salted caramel. For the grand finale, make a scene-stealing Opera cake! Create airy sponge cake and dip each piece into a coffee simple syrup before adding layer upon layer of buttercream and chocolate ganache for a cake that's certainly ready for its close-up — and maybe a bite or three.

Some believe authentic, delicious croissants are only found in Paris. Au contraire! Seasoned pastry instructor Colette Christian will teach you how to create buttery, layered French pastries from your own kitchen. Learn to mix, shape and proof your butter-locked dough, then bake it into exquisite croissants, pain au chocolat and savory pastries filled with ham and swiss or spinach and feta. By the end of the course, not only will you understand French terms like mise en place and detrempe, you'll also learn Colette's pastry chef secrets that will advance your baking skills as you learn different approaches to the croissant craft. Enroll now in Classic Croissants at Home and enjoy baking delicious croissants. Bon appetit!

Learn how to create decadent Danish pastries at home! Certified Executive Pastry Chef Colette Christian shows you it's easier than you think. First, discover the secrets to the perfect laminated, yeast-risen dough, including how to build a butter block faster than ever. Then, make your mixer work for it, and create luscious fillings for three popular Danish pastries: cream cheese, streusel and bear claw. Plus, Colette shows you how to make fillings on your stovetop, from classic cherry to thick pastry cream. Next, put your filling where your pastry is, and make impressive designs, including pockets, pinwheels and envelopes. Discover the importance of proofing your Danishes, and get Colette's tips for tasty garnishes, such as nappage and powdered sugar. And, learn how to avoid waste by putting those delicious pastry scraps to use in twists, lunettes, monkey bread and more.